For almost a century the Church Lawford and Kings Newnham Reading Room was a facility at the heart of village life.
The committee of Trustees ensured that the facility operated in the best possible way for the villagers, with events and groups being given access to a site that many other villages did not possess. The Rugby Advertiser of 9th December 1949 illustrated the strength of that committee.
As the nation moved towards the 1960s, following Harold Macmillan’s “Never Had It So Good” there began a few mumblings about the state of the facility, and whether the Trustees should invest in certain improvements. Although there was an understanding that funds would have to be found from donations, a certain amount of frustration rose to the surface that the Trustees were at one point rather anonymous.
However, as soon as criticism was perceived from the vicarage or parish council direction, a response generally followed.
In 1959 the Village Newsletter had the following
A few years later in 1965 there was an article in the local press with quotes from the Parish Council about the issues with heating – to which Jane Sweeney responded thus
Moving into the 1970s there was still a concern about heating and toilets, as voiced in the newsletter in December 1970.
The response was an upgrade to the facilities taking advantage of further donations from the Townsend family.
Moving into the 1980s, there was still periodic rumblings of discontent, to which the following response was published in 1982.
In later years it was realised the Reading Room would not meet more modern facility standard, notably for easier access for those with mobility problems. The later years of the Reading Room are discussed as part of the story surrounding the Village Hall here.